The present invention relates to diesel generators and in particular to improving the fuel efficiency of a diesel generator in the field.
Diesel generators burn fuel to generate electrical energy in remote locations. For example, diesel generators are often used by the military to provide electrical power in the field. Such diesel generators may be used in a remote location, and the total cost of supply fuel for the generator often becomes very high due to the difficulty in transporting the fuel, especially in hostile conditions. A diesel generator commonly used by armed forces such as the United States Army is the 10 kW Tactical Quiet Generator (10 kWTQG), identified by US Army as TM 9-6115-642-10 by US Air Force as TO 35C2-3-455-11 by US Marine Corps as TM 09247/09248A-10/1, manufactured by various companies. The 10 kWTQG includes an in-line four cylinder diesel (fuel oil) engine having a 1.9 liter displacement. The engine can be configured to run on a fuel oil such as JP8 military fuel, diesel fuel, or other fuel oils.
The 10 kWTQG has been the subject of over 20 years of development, and throughout that period, efforts have been made to maximize the fuel efficiency of the 10 kWTQG. In the over 20 years of ongoing use and development of the 10 kwTQG diesel generator by its manufacturers and the Department of Defense, only nominal improvements in fuel efficiency have been attained. While a complete engine replacement could achieve the desired effect, such engine replacement is not capable of being performed in the field. Further, a replacement engine would not be compatible with existing parts and would require building a new spare parts inventory. At the time of the development of the present invention, there was an active effort by the Department of Defense to encourage the private development of technology that could increase the fuel economy of the 10 kwTQG and other military vehicles and generator sets.
Additionally, a wet stack problem associated with the 10 kwTQG diesel generator has been identified by the Department of Defense, wherein the diesel engine runs poorly when cold, producing large amounts of black smoke.
Therefore, while improvements have been made, there remains a need to further improve the efficiency of the 10 kWTQG to reduce fuel requirements. A further need exists for field modification which provides fuel efficiency improvements to the 10 kWTQG which may be implemented efficiently on location in the field and in war zones and only requires personnel with an available level of skill. An additional need exists to reduce or eliminate the wet stack problem.